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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23606761">don’t fuss over me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/raincallsx/pseuds/raincallsx'>raincallsx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Depictions of wounds, Hurt/Comfort, Tending to Wounds, general softness, nothing that graphic tho, they’re baby</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:08:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,048</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23606761</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/raincallsx/pseuds/raincallsx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>one time Sarah takes care of the Doctor, and one time he returns the favour</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fourth Doctor &amp; Sarah Jane Smith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>don’t fuss over me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>dedicated to my writing partner in crime and also to my source of endless encouragements :)</p><p>title from cherry wine by hozier</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The events of the day were blurred together in Sarah Jane’s head. Everything had happened so quickly. She could barely comprehend it all. The TARDIS had landed on a strange planet whose name escaped her at the moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Doctor had led her out on what was promised to be an exciting adventure. All the two of them had gotten were two warring factions of a scavenger sort. After seemingly resolving any bit of conflict between the two, and bringing peace once again to the planet, the pair of them were about to depart. The hall they were in now was quite nice for the likes of a war ravaged planet. Iron brazers of orange flames lit the room which was seemingly made of a granite-like substance. It was decorated by old paintings and sculptures. It had once been the hall of the ruling monarch who was long since dead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now the room was full of the remaining soldiers, women, and children. Out of them all a man had made himself known. A disgraced war general who had fabricated conflicts between the two factions for weeks now, and he wasn't very pleased with how the situation had ended for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was as the Doctor and Sarah Jane were departing for their TARDIS, off to the next destination for the pair of them, that he called out to them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doctor!” grunted the man from behind them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Doctor turned, maybe to question him, or maybe to tell him off. Sarah Jane would never find out. As she had turned round, she saw the light of the laser gun in the man’s hand raise, and discharge the blast moving to zip straight towards her- no not her. Towards the Doctor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She yelped, hands darting out to grasp him in an effort to pull him aside, but she was too late.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Doctor let out a soft groan as he stumbled towards her a step, then two. The man had been seized by two of the soldiers who disarmed him. Catching him, Sarah Jane stumbled as well. He was practically twice her size after all. Her mind had frozen, unsure of what her next move should be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doctor- Doctor what do I do? What do you need IF- I don't know what to do-” she rambled on for a moment before his voice interrupted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Firstly, Sarah, I should think we need to make our way back to the TARDI-” he interrupted himself with a pained groan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, right..” she let out a shaky breath, trying to regain her bearings. “It's just down the corridor. Can you walk?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded briskly, and let her help him into a more upright position. She let him balance himself as she carefully brushed the dangling length of scarf away to see the damage. The shirt he had been wearing had a large hole burned through it and had quickly become stained with blood. The sight of it made her stomach churn. After snaking a lithe arm around his torso for a bit of extra support, she was able to get him to stumble his way to the TARDIS with her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She got him to the med bay as quickly as she could. By the time they had gotten there, he was panting, forehead covered with sweat. Sarah Jane had known where to go as she had been there earlier that morning for a bandage. That seemed so long ago to her now as she set him on a cot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both spent a moment catching their breath, the short trip of a few metres taking a lot out of them. Sarah Jane knew she didn't have time to waste. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doctor what- what do I do? Where's that thing you always- always use when I get injured? The tissue rehabilitator?” she managed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut, forehead creasing as he thought and more beads of sweat continued to form as he attempted with all of his energy not to pass out or </span>
  <em>
    <span>worse</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He had already regenerated, quite recently mind you, once with Sarah there and he really wasn't planning on doing it again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Second glass cupboard on the left from the door…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sarah Jane nodded and crossed the room for it. It was a decently small room, only two cots sat ready at one wall. The other walls were lined with various cabinets and cupboards full of a various assortment of various medical supplies from all sorts of planets. He kept the cure for most common injuries and maladies locked away here for the use if need ever arose for such a thing. The room as a whole was quite clean and sterile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sarah recognised the first cupboard as the one full of common Earth supplies, where she usually went for most things. As she opened the second one, though, she furrowed her brow as her eyes began to focus on the fine print on each of the devices and bottles. All in English thanks to the translation circuits, but the words on them were complex and she didn't quite understand them. In the end, the only reason she found the rehabilitation was because she had seen the case quite a few times before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She got on her tiptoes, and did a little jump to grab it. Luckily, she got it first try. She grabbed a little med kit from the back of the counter as well before she rushed back to his side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She set both cases on the little rolling table beside the cot he was on. After steadying her shaking hands, she looked to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll need to take off your shirt. Is that alright?” her voice was weak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had never been the best with blood, but she knew here was no other way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It's alright, and I’m going to be alright too.” he assured, yet the look on his face was less than convincing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sarah Jane’s hands worked quickly to remove his scarf, unwinding it from round his shoulders and draping it on the nearby chair. Next to go was his coat, right on top of the scarf, and seemingly miraculously untouched by blood. Finally came his shirt, which she deftly untucked and began to unbutton from the top. She quickly realised that her fingers were shaking and fumbling too much to even get the second one undone. This is when she made the executive decision to run her hands down the buttons until she reached the center of the seam there. Her fingers gripped the fabric and pulled until all of the buttons popped off in one quick movement, bouncing in various directions across the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The deft movement and ease she accomplished the task with would have been much more impressive to the both of them if he wasn't on the verge of dying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The shirt was discarded off to the side, now buttonless, blood stained, and shot through. It was then that Sarah got a good look at the side and severity of the wound. It turned her stomach to see him hurt like this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lie back,” she murmured, using the flat of her palm to gently ease him back against the half reclined seat backing of the cot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His chest was rising and falling rapidly. Even to a human with no real concept of any human biology, let alone alien, she knew that this was bad. The wound was the size of a half dollar a few inches above his right hit bone, seeping blood with clean edges all the way around. The skin surrounding it was blistering, a burn if she’d ever seen one developing slowly but surely. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sarah Jane turned then, opening the first case. Carefully, she got a cloth from it and wet it in the nearby faucet, wiping away the slow moving blood from the surrounding area with the utmost of care. This elicited a few pained noises from the Doctor’s throat. She rested one hand on his bare shoulder in an attempt to soothe him. Pulling out a tube, she squeezed some of its contents onto the tips of her fingers, quickly spreading the blue gel of an aloe vera like consistency around the edges of the wound over the burn. A numbing gel that he had used on her more than a few times that only took a few seconds to go into effect. A weak sigh passed his lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doctor? It's going to be alright. I promise. I’ll take care of you, don't worry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened his eyes, dazed from the pain flooding his system, but the gel seemed to be helping because he was able to focus on her and even offer up a weak smile. “Don't you worry about me, Sarah Jane.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Turning once more, she opened the second case. It revealed a small device, only slightly bigger than the size of her hand. Following the movements she had seen him do countless times before, she turned it on. After carefully placing it over his wounds, she pressed the small circular button to activate it. Her hand held steady as she could make it as it made a small humming sound. The device itself was relatively painless. It knit together tissues causing the healing process to be cut down into a span of five minutes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She soon found herself distracted by the bush of fingertips against hers. She obliged, interlacing fingers with the Doctor and squeezing gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She turned her attention towards his face. Her free hand grabbed a cloth and gently wiped the sweat from his brow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry Doctor. This day really has gone all wrong, hasn't it?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah Sarah, the great art of life is sensation, to feel we exist, even in pain..” he smiled, weak but crooked as ever. “I’m going to be alright, and so are you. That's all that matters. There are always more adventures to be had tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sarah cleared her throat, “Byron. Favorite of mine… You know I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was abruptly cut off by the chirping of the device, letting them both know that it had finished. Slight smile on the corners of her mouth, she lifted it from his skin, setting it back in the case. Her fingers ghosted over when the wound had been only minutes prior. There was no trace anything had been there aside from a slight swelling and redness of the skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” came his voice, stirring her from her thoughts. “Now are you going to tell me where you learned to become a nurse? Because I don't seem to recall that listed on your application to come along with me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I only learned it from the best,” she replied, a larger smile developing over her features.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really? The best nurse? Last I checked he doesn't come into being for another few hundred years? When did you have the time to pay him a visit?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shaking her head, she leaned down to pull him into a hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you ever do that to me again, hear me? Scared me half to death, you stupid idiot.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I won't, not on purpose anyway.” The Doctor answered by wrapping her arms around her, a hand carefully combing through the ends of her hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Sarah Jane pressed her nose into his bare shoulder, she vaguely thought that this was one of the last scenarios she had imagined when she thought of him shirtless. The thought was quickly overtaken by the scent of him, like warmth and spice, and citrus, and home.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pulling back, she smiled at him, glad to see he was feeling better now. She helped him sit up all the way, fear and worry melting off of her shoulders every moment. The Doctor was here. He was okay. He was alive. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She wouldn't have it any other way.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Later that night, meeting him back in the console room, he seemed better than ever. All put together and fiddling with the console as usual. A little kip had done her some good.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well Doctor, where are we off to next?” She grinned at him</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where’s the fun in knowing, Sarah? I’d likely say that we’re off to another adventure.” He replied to her smile with an even larger one of his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Doctor pulled the final lever, and off they went.</span>
</p>
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